LOL....I really have gotten into the habit of sending a quick PM prior to mailing out the book if I think there may be an issue about something/anything with the book.  It could be a note saying the book is an ex-library book or gentle reminder that the book is old....i.e. pages may be yellowing.   I know that ex-library books are acceptable, but some people are funny about that.  At least if they don't have this listed in their requestor's conditions, they can think about putting it in.

I don't PM, if it meets the conditions of the site,  send it.

FYI - Reviews are not supposed to include condition information, only a review of the book. Reviews follow the book (not just your copy) so your conditions will show up on any copy of that book in the system.

ummm, the book is over 20 years old and I would expect some aging of the paper and maybe well read. 

some people seem to forget this is a used book site and expect like new books....me, as long as it is in decent condition and meets the parameters of this site then that should be all that matters.

I don't send a PM for ANY book requested from me!  My books meet the PBS standards, so a PM is not my responsiblity.  And yes, some older books have "tanning" and that is normal.

Janice, I certainly agree that most old books have that kind of stuff, but PBS doesn't want the condition stuff in the reviews. They have a thread regarding cleanup of reviews and many of them are to remove condition information.

I hope you don't chose to pull your old books. Many members of PBS are looking for older prints that are hard to find and will understand that they come with older book issues. As long as they meet PBS standards you shouldn't have to feel like you need to make excuses or explain the book. List em, send em, and get your credits. If someone complains, too bad. You will get a mark, but PBS gods will certainly look at the book in question and your explanation and understand. The most common requested books I have had are John MacDonald books and all of them were old and showing it, but still intact and not stained or overly worn. The receivers were quite happy to find them. Those old books are often the biggest gems here, anyone can walk into B&N and buy Harry Potter 7, but find a book 20 years old that easy? no way.

Most of the time the publication date appears as part of the information about the book, so the requestor should know how old the book is and figure accordingly.  Common sense would tell one that a book from 1980 will be in different shape than one from 2003.

Hello.,

   I have some 1950's -70's lovely books BUT they have yellowing pages and a few spots here and there. Maybe a scuff on the cover so I have been afraid to list them. Last week someone literally threatened me for leaving a price tag on a book's dust cover telling me they "were going to notify PBS if I didn't promise to remove ALL price tags from now on." Is this usual?

I am a newbie but my books all meet the conditions very much so. After that experience, I have been afraid to list any books with stickers on the front or my old books. This person was 100 books received....

Help me out here, what if they complain NON-legitimately?

Regards and thank you!

I have posted several older romance books that have been reissued with the same ISBN but an updated cover.  The newer cover was pictured.  I've pm'd on those because I'd rather cancel the request then waste my postage and have them complain.  If they are expecting the newer version and cover and get a 20yr old yellowing one they might complain even if it meets PBS guidelines.     Most of them have been WL books though and the person was just greatful to get a copy even if it was the older version. I also PM'd someone just yesterday that a newer book had wavy pages but wasn't water damaged. I've noticed this a problem with the newer mass-market paperbacks. The book I'm reading now, I purchased brand-new from Walmart and the pages were waving before I even cracked it open. It's got over 50 people on WL so hopefully it won't be a problem when I send it out.   But technically yellowing is expected in older books.

Oh c'mon, a lot of books posted here come from USB.  They can't complain about a price tag!  Besides, as is often noted, no one can complain about a dust cover at all, becasue dust covers aren't required.  So no Carly, don't worry, it wasn't legitimate.  And if you're worried about them complaining to R&R, you shoudl probably just send R&R a copy of their message.  Or just PM the member with a copy of the posting guidelines.

Mary, lots of folks have been talking lately about books that are being sold with wavy pages.  Nothing we can do about it, and they're fine to post.  Big difference between these, and the kind of pages you get from water damage.

So post away!

...Last week someone literally threatened me for leaving a price tag on a book's dust cover telling me they "were going to notify PBS if I didn't promise to remove ALL price tags from now on." Is this usual?...

Hehehehehehe. I would have laughed my a$$ off at them and told them to report me. And they should make sure to point out to R&R the rule I am breaking with leaving a price tag on. What a tard you had to deal with.  I intentionally leave all price tags on so that I don't have to listen to the complaining about the sticky unknown substance on the cover of a book (even though it is in the shape of a price tag its a big mystery).

hehe Thank you all very much!

I just don't like conflict and I seem to find those *conflict ridden* want  CARLY's books peeps sometimes.

Are yellowed pages ok then if it's like 20 years or more?

Thank you again! I was worried how to handle these peeps.

Feeling better about the price tags now* giggling about the mystery sticker shock*,

Carly

From the Help:

• This is a used-book swapping site; books are not expected to be in like-new condition.
  • Older books may have some page yellowing or spine-creasing or dogeared pages; these are all OKAY.

So, Janice, you are saying the only thing wrong with your book was the yellowing? It wasn't bedraggled, overly worn or anything, and she chasticed you for it???? Man, some people just really need to get a clue. I would have probably not been so nice in replying to her if there was nothing else wrong with the book, and I gave her a bonus one to boot!!!

I would have reminded that person, btw, that RCs are for stating conditions you will not accept, and if she was not interested in accepting books with yellowing pages, THAT is where they belong, not in a PM to me.

Also, as Melanie says, condition information does not belong in the reviews. Please do remove the comment about yellowing in your reviews. While it is likely that the 20 yo books have yellowing, you cannot guarantee every copy of that book has yellowed pages, it is wrong to place that in the reviews. Reviews are for the content of the writing only, not the condition or quality of the books. Just as an example, I just posted a book on another site because I cannot post it here because of the excessive shelf wear, but it has absolutely pristine white pages, even tho it is over FIFTY (50) years old! So, age is not always indicative of yellowing, but should very well indicate that it is possible.

I do wish there was a space to put comments about your particular book....2 other sites I'm on have this feature and it is nice.  But then there are some really good features about PBS that the other sites don't offer. 

I know a lot of folks here are opposed to PMing, but I swap a lot of vintage (20-30 years old) books.  While all are 100% in postable condition by PBS guidelines, they are old so I always PM first. I do this because there have been times that I've received complaints like "you should have mentioned it was this old"...duh, look at the published date when your order!!! 

I'd just rather avoid a dispute after the fact so I don't send an older book until the requestor responds and acknowleges that they know it's an older book.

The member who threatened you over leaving the price tag on is a lunatic.  It takes all kinds, doesn't it?

I am with everyone else- as long as books meet PBS requirements, then it's ok for them to be posted, even if they are older copies.  IMO, if someone does not want older books, they should list that as one of their conditions.  We can't be expected to be mind readers, or assume that EVERYONE doesn't like older books.  If someone is that concerned with the age of a book, then they should have a condition that ASKS for the sender to first PM them about the condition of the book.  Otherwise, they are subject to the same PBS rules we all are.

As an aside, I recently got a deal in the Book Bazaar on some Judy Blume books that I loved as a kid.  When they arrived, they actually could have BEEN the books I owned back in the late 70s/early 80s.  I was absolutely thrilled- it was like stepping back in time 25 years, and I PMed the member to tell her how tickled I was to get the same versions I read when I was 10/11 years old.  I guess not everyone would feel that way, but I thought it was awesome.

With older books, many eventually reach a  "borderline/gray area" condition where the sender technically meet the guidelines, but the recipent doesn't feel comfortable posting again. Both are correct; that's the way it goes.

I've removed all reviews. You're right -- what I saw as attempting to make folks aware of, you're seeing as "my book has this wrong with it" ... it's good to know that my reviews are not acceptable. All have been deleted.

This is sad. That you would remove ALL of your reviews just because you shouldn't include book condition in them? Seems to be an excessive reaction to a minor issue. 

That was my point, although you expressed it more clearly than I did. If tthe book isn't seriously deficient (loose pages, etc.), but might not survive another voyage through USPS-land, I'd likely release it as a Bookcrossing book. If it did begin coming apart, but I could still read the story, I'd be pleased to have gotten it, and put it out for recycling afterwards.